On March 19, at 4pm EST, Pamlico Rose Institute with co-sponsor East Carolina Veterans Coalition, will host a Zoom Panel discussion Overcoming Obstacles: Disability in women Veterans. We will be broadcasting live to allow for questions and comments from our listeners.
 
The Numbers
Women make up approximately 14.5 percent of the active-duty military force and 18 percent of the National Guard and Reserves.
Women make up the fastest growing population of veterans in the United States, with around 2 million veterans as of 2017, and it is still growing.
As of 2018 there were around a half a million disabled women veterans in the United States. That makes up around 23 percent of all veterans with service-connected conditions.
Out of these women, 50 percent of them have service-connected conditions that are rated 50 percent or higher.

Disabled Veterans face similar and far-different challenges and barriers than non-disabled Veterans reintegrating into their communities. Affordable and suitable housing, access to training and education opportunities, employment, lack of support networks, and ongoing health care treatment; these issues that can affect disabled Veteran more profoundly than non-disabled Veterans. The consequences of the disability are enduring and the effects of the disability cut across the Veteran’s physical, mental and emotional health; PTSD, depression, chronic pain, anxiety, social isolation, changing or loss of “self” and many others. The barriers and challenges encountered and the impact of the disability also affect family and loved ones, those in the immediate family or those closest often become caregivers. Ultimately, disabled Veterans experience greater health risks that can lead to suicide.

Women Veterans are more likely to leave the service disabled and interwoven with the consequences of the disability are gender-specific physical, social and behavioral effects of their military service; higher rates of PTSD, often experienced due to military sexual trauma, depression, substance abuse, societal indifference to or lack of awareness of the identity of Veteran by society overall and the community around them, and more profound, the impact or loss of identities that revolve around spouse, mother, and parent.

Through recent societal events and movements, there is an inflection point that created a space and visibility to draw long overdue attention to populations that are impacted by these overlapping issues, and we at Pamlico Rose Institute are doing what we can to contribute. Our mission at Pamlico Rose is to develop and advance wellness and resilience-building programs. for women Veterans.  negative experiences from their military service. 
It is imperative that an organization like ours that serves women Veterans understands the experiences of all women Veterans, as well as those aspects that are unique to certain populations – thus, the genesis of this panel so we as an organization can better serve those we support. 

More specifically, the panel will explore how being a disabled women Veteran makes the transition and reintegration into civilian life more difficult and/or challenging.

The panel highlights accomplished women Veterans will explore the challenges of disability and the experiences of being a women Veteran through the prism of their daily lives. They will share their stories and offer thoughts on themes that reflect on the process of acceptance and healing.